White Picket Fences
by Bound-to-Evanesce
Summary: SX SLASH! Spike's infatuated. Xander's oblivious. The events that occur on a routine patrol will change everything.
1. Default Chapter

Disclaimer: I own NOTHING except for the plot.

The muffled sound of someone rolling out of bed and a stream of obscenities was the first thing that greeted Alexander Harris as he slowly woke up. The tall, slightly muscular brunette shuffled into the next room clad only in a pair of Snoopy boxer shorts. He didn't say a word; he only glared at the blond who had found a way to tangle himself in his bed sheets and proceeded into the kitchen to make coffee.

Alexander, or Xander as he was known to most, scanned the messy lounge and kitchen. Beer cans and bottles were scattered about every surface that wasn't covered by popcorn or pizza boxes. He grimaced remembering the night before. He and his unwanted roommate had put aside their differences to have a 'guy's night.' All this meant was that the two sat around watching action movies and binging on beer and junk food. He spotted the nearly empty bottle of vodka on the dining table and picked it up, eyeballing the half-inch of clear liquid left in the bottle. He was definitely paying for last night this morning. His head felt as if the entire Riverdance dance company was dancing in his head and his mouth felt as if he had eaten cotton. It hurt to open his eyes any further than the tiny slit they were open. He pulled open the top drawer of one of the counters and pulled out a bottle of Advil. Popping two geltabs in his mouth, he swallowed them down with a handful of water from the faucet and shuffled to his couch.

Spike cracked an eye open as he slowly stood up, his blankets still wrapped around his mostly naked form. Padding out of his room, the platinum blond vampire moved slowly into the kitchen and popped two geltabs before settling in the recliner with the remainder of the vodka.

"I thought you undead types didn't get hungover." Xander mumbled curling tighter into himself.

"Yeah well when you drink enough anything's possible." He drawled, finishing the bottle and tossing it aside.

Xander peered over the armrest of the leather couched at the head of mussed up blond hair and grinned inwardly. He would never admit it but the vampire was quite attractive even though he could barely stand to be in the room with the so called 'Big Bad' for more than ten minutes at a time. Last night he had given the blond a chance to prove that he could be a decent man and the two had got along quite amiably; trading horror stories about girlfriends and whatnot. A wave of sickness over came Xander and he jumped up and ran to the sink just barely missing vomiting on the floor. He rinsed the sink and waved at the vampire before retreating to his room and shutting the door most of the way.

That night, neither man was feeling all that much better when they reported to the Magic Box. Not paying all too much attention, Xander and Spike nodded and left to patrol their designated area.

"I'm never drinking with you again." Xander announced to his companion. His stomach was still churning forcing them to rest every so often so he wouldn't retch all over the place.

Spike snorted and lit a cigarette as they continued to patrol the area around the cemetery. A shrill scream filled the night air and the two took off running in the direction of the sound.

A Volvo station wagon was ablaze, the scream coming from the back of the car where two figures were struggling to escape the flames. A group of five fledges surrounded the blaze, watching in amusement as the car burned. Two adults, obviously the childrens' parents lay in a crumpled heap near the burning car. They had been drained completely; not a drop of blood remaining in their bodies.

Instinctively, Xander ran to the car and motioned for the children to shield themselves. Using the butt of the axe in his hand, Xander smashed the rear window and lifted the two children out of the car. He watched as Spike took on most of the fledges before turning to see a vamp coming his way. The children were pushed behind him as he briefly fought the vamp before staking it and lifting the smaller of the two children in his arms and running down the street where as soon as he stopped and placed the child on the ground, he vomited in the street.

The three sat quietly, waiting for the black clad blond. The smaller of the two children, a toddler no older than three, had cried himself to sleep while the older, a girl who was probably five, sat pushed against the fender of an old Buick. Every time Xander tried to touch the girl, she shied away, sobbing softly. "I won't hurt you. I'm here to help." He whispered, trying to coax her closer to him.

Heavy footsteps were heard approaching their hiding place some minutes later. "They alright, Harris?" asked Spike, Xander's axe in his hand. Xander nodded and motioned to the sleeping boy in his lap.

"What do we do with them?" Xander said calmly.

Spike's preternatural hearing caught the wail of sirens in the distance. "We need to get out of here." Xander nodded and held the young boy close as they quickly headed towards Xander's flat.

Before Xander could even close the door to his flat, the night's events were finally catching up to the little girl as she began to sob uncontrollably. Spike gently lifted her and brought her over to the couch, placing her in his lap. "W-where's mommy?" She sobbed as Spike began to gently rock her. Spike thought twice about answering her question.

"Why don't we get you cleaned up and talk about this tomorrow, 'kay, luv?" Spike gently removed the jacket from her and carried her into the loo. She sat sniffing as tears continued to roll down her cheeks as she sat on the countertop. Every now and then she would wipe her little button nose with the sleeve of her light blue shirt. "Don't wipe your nose on your shirt." His voice was softer than usual, even when speaking to Dawn.

Picking up a striped washcloth from the rack on the wall and rinsed it with cold water. She calmed somewhat as Spike gently wiped her face and neck with the washcloth. "Do you have a name, Niblet?" He asked.

She sniffed loudly and nodded her head. "Ariel." She sniffed followed by a tiny yawn. Spike nodded in acknowledgement and carried her into his room.

"W-where's Nicholas?" She yawned as the blond placed her in the bed and removed her shoes.

"That your brother?" He asked. She nodded and pulled the covers to her chin. The exhausted child quickly fell asleep and the vampire went in search of Xander.

Xander was seated on his bed with the toddler in his arms gazing at the small form. He knew he shouldn't be getting too attached to the children but he couldn't help it. He turned his eyes up to see the slim form of his roommate leaning against the door frame. "I put the Bit down in my bed." Spike stated. Xander stood and pushed passed the other man to place the toddler in the other room.

A can of beer rested on his knee as he stared blankly at the television. He knew he couldn't keep the children but god he wanted to. He sighed deeply and glanced at the vampire who sat at the kitchen counter nursing a glass of scotch.

"Can't keep them, ya know." Xander turned to look at the vampire. The brunette's eyes pleaded with the blond.

"I know. I know." Xander sighed dramatically and slouched down against the armrest. "I'm goin' to bed." Xander chucked his beer can in the recycling bag and shut himself in his room leaving Spike to stare at his closed door.

Ever since he had moved into Xander's spare bedroom after Anya and Xander split, Spike had begun keeping regular sleeping hours. That was also about the same time that Spike realised his growing attraction for the boy. At first, this change in his feelings for the other male had come as a shock but as days went by the shock started to fade. It felt almost natural for him to feel something for Xander.

Some time, in the early morning hours, Spike found himself unable to sleep on the couch and stood before Xander's closed door. His hand found the doorknob and cautiously, the vampire made his way over to the spacious bed and crawled under the covers.

A/N: This fic has been brought to you by Luci. So what do you think? Should I continue it?


	2. Can We Keep 'Em?

Disclaimer: The only thing I own is my car and the little goldfish habitat thingy on my desk.

**Chapter Two: Can We Keep 'Em?**

****

Morning came all too quickly. The shades on the windows didn't let any light into the room leaving the alarm clock on the night table as the only indication of the time of day. The harsh beep of the alarm went off, letting the occupants of the bed know that it was 8 am.

A slim, pale hand grabbed the clock and yanked the cord from the wall before turning on his side and falling back to sleep. The comforting scent that was distinctly Xander filled his nose as he took in an unneeded breath. Just as he was beginning to fall asleep, he was jerked back awake by a cry from the next room. Slipping out of the bed, Spike walked quickly to the next room to see why little Nicholas was crying.

A chubby little hand wiped away the tears rolling down his cheeks as he sat up in the bed, ignoring his sister's attempts to quiet him. He was soon scooped up into the vampire's arms and gripped onto the man's white t-shirt for dear life.

"What's wrong?" He asked the little boy. As he gently smoothed the fine, dirty blonde hair, Spike's hand ran over the bump forming on the back of the toddler's head. "Did you hit your head?" He cooed.

"Aww, who knew William the Bloody was such a softie when it came to children." A light-hearted laugh came from the doorway forcing Spike to turn around and glare at the brunette.

" 'M not a softie, whelp. _I'm_ the Big Bad and you'd best do well not to forget it." Spike knew there was no point in putting up a fight when it came to the Harris boy. Just as Xander was about to walk away, Spike called back to him. "Boy! Go down to the store and get nappies, will ya? Don't really know how long the Niblets will be here." He heard the young man sigh and the jingle of house keys as he dressed and walked out the door. There was a small tug on his shirt. "Yes?"

"Hafta go to the bathroom." Ariel said softly. Spike led her out of the room and into the bathroom.

Spike sighed. For all he knew, last night could have been the closest he would ever get to the object of his affection. He really was love's bitch and would do anything for the young brunet Scooby. "It's bad, isn't it? Why did I have to go and fall n love with him?" He asked the boy whose head was resting on his shoulder. He heard the toilet flush and the soft creak as Ariel opened the bathroom door. "Did you wash your hands?" Ariel turned and walked back to the sink; a guilty expression plastered on her round little face. When she came back, Spike ushered her into the kitchen. "Do you want some breakfast?" He asked seating Nicholas on the counter.

Ariel nodded shyly. "The bad men that set the car on fire killed mommy and daddy, didn't they mister?" She asked sadly.

Spike turned away from the refrigerator and placed his elbows on the counter in front of the girl. "Yeah, they did but they the bad men won't come back." A cool hand stroked her hair lightly. "There's not too much to eat 'round here. Do you like Fruity Pebbles?" He asked trying to change the subject to something lighter.

She nodded and held out her arms towards Nicholas. "He likes to sit with me when I eat." She said as Spike place a bowl in front of her and filled it with the multi-coloured cereal.

Lifting the small child from his place on the counter, Spike placed Nicholas next to his older sister. "What's gonna happen to us?" She asked.

"I don't know, luv. Do you have grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins that you could live with?" Spiked leaned against the sink. Her hazel eyes filled with tears as she shook her head.

"I don't know where our grandma is." Her lower lip quivered as she tried to hold back her tears. She looked next to her to see her brother holding out a Fruity Pebble for her. "Thank you, Nicholas." She smiled and took the tiny rice puff.

Spike heard the lock of the door click then open. "I'm back." Xander called to an empty lounge.

"Will you be alright by yourselves for a few minutes?" Spike asked the two children. "Good." Spike ran a hand through his tussled platinum hair. If he had a functioning heart, it would be beating a mile a minute. He quickly composed himself and met the handsome brunet in the lounge.

The brown paper bag was placed on the floor. "I think we need to have a chat." Xander crossed his arms over his chest and fixed a stern gaze on his roommate. "Why were you in my bed last night?"

"I was cold." It wasn't a complete lie. There was a draft and Spike didn't like being cold. "I talked to the Niblets. Ariel knows her mum and da are dead. She's bright, Harris. She doesn't know where her family is. That's all I could get from them."

"Can we keep them?" Xander asked hopefully. In the short time that he'd known the children, Xander was already attached to the little boy, Nicholas and he knew Spike was getting attached to the girl.

"They're not dogs, pet." Xander looked hurt and Spike instantly wanted to take the man into his arms. It was then that Spike recalled what he had just said. "I mean whelp."

It didn't matter. Xander had caught what the vampire had called him. "You just called me pet!" Xander tried not to laugh.

"Did not, whelp!"

"Did too!" Xander paused. "I want to keep them. You said that she didn't know where her family is."

Big, brown eyes pleaded with Spike. Finally, knowing that there was no point in trying to resist, Spike acquiesced. "Fine. You do know that this is your flat and not mine, right? Don't need my permission." He dug through the paper bag and found the wet naps and nappies. "Change the boy." He smirked and watched Xander as he walked out of the room.

Just as Spike was about to plop on the couch and light a cigarette, Xander's head popped into the lounge. "I don't know how." He admitted sheepishly. Spike sighed and got up, taking the boy from Xander.

"Watch and learn, boy." He said as he placed Nicholas on his bed and slid his little jeans down. Spike's sensitive nose was assaulted as soon as he opened the soiled nappie. He snatched a wet nap from the box and a dry nappie from the bag and cleaned Nicholas' bottom before fastening the tabs of the clean nappie. "There you go." He held the boy out to Xander and threw the soiled nappie in the bathroom rubbish bin.

"They need clothes. I could take them shopping." Xander suggested as Spike went back to the kitchen.

By noon, Xander and Spike had come to the decision that the children would be staying with them due to their lack of living family. Nicholas was asleep on Spike's bed while the two adults sat in the lounge with Ariel.

"I like you. You're nice to me and my brother." Ariel whispered to Spike. The girl shivered when Spike put an arm around her. "Why are you cold?" She asked curiously.

"You might as well tell her the truth." Xander said as he continued to flip through the channels on the television. When Spike said nothing, Xander sighed and pulled the girl into his lap. "Our friend, Spike, here, is a vampire but he's a good guy, no matter what he says. He wouldn't hurt anyone."

"Vampires aren't real." She stated a little unsure of herself. "Why is your name Spike? Did your mommy name you Spike?"

Spike scowled at what Xander said about him but brushed it off. He would get back at the whelp for saying things like that. "Spike is a nickname of sorts. My mum named me William."

"Are you really a vampire?" Spike nodded. "Prove it." Both men were shocked that Ariel wasn't scared. If anything, the girl was curious and raised a small hand to gently prod at the ridges on the blonde's forehead. "Is that why we're waiting to go shopping?" Both men nodded.

Spike slipped back to his human visage and lit a cigarette from the packet on the end table. Before the cigarette was even lit it was plucked from his lips and placed back in the packet. "Some of us here are still alive, ya know." He could feel the warmth emanating from the younger man. Xander's close proximity to him was driving him crazy. He didn't know why he was so attracted to him, he just was.

"Why don't you take the Niblet to the mall and I'll stay here with Nicholas." He watched longingly as Xander and the girl left the flat and groaned in frustration. He got up and went to the refrigerator to fix himself a mug of blood.

"Are you going to be my new daddy?" Ariel asked quietly. Xander was caught off guard by her question and crouched down so he was looking directly at her. "My daddy wasn't very nice when he was home. He wasn't home very much."

"we'll talk about this when we get home." Xander gave her a warm smile. "Pick out whatever you want. Your brother needs clothes, too."

Xander watched amusedly as the seven year old looking at everything from jeans to jumpers but noticed that she only picked up three items. He grabbed a few more items that appeared to be her size and told her to go try them on.

Several hours and countless stores later, Xander walked to the car laden with shopping bags as Ariel walked along side him. He even made her get a party dress and mary janes. He grinned remembering how her eyes lit up when he told her to pick out anything she wanted from the toy store for her and Nicholas. She chose two teddy bears. The ride back to the flat was a quiet one. Both were tired from their afternoon of shopping.

He wanted to prove something to Xander but he wasn't sure what it was that he wanted to prove but he knew there was something. While Xander and Ariel where shopping, Spike had bathed Nicholas with the baby wash that Xander had picked up. It was then that he realised that the sweet smelling baby shampoo worked pretty well for his over processed hair. He then cleaned the flat as best he could and attempted to have a nice dinner on the table when the two came back. Silently, Spike sent a prayer of thanks to his mother for teaching him things he thought he would never need to know.

Take away containers were thrown into the plastic bag which was promptly slid down the garbage shoot. He didn't want Xander to think he was lazy but there was a footie match on and sports and t.v. ranked higher than cooking on his list.

The key slid into the lock and turned until it click causing Spike to jump from his seat on the couch and hurry to the dining area to make sure everything was perfect. If he had a reflection he would have been checking to make sure his ever-gelled hair was perfect.

The delicious aroma of…chicken wafted up from underneath the door. Ariel grinned at the smell of hot food causing Xander to give her a curious glance.

"Will you be my daddy?" Ariel's gaze was cast down at her feet. "Mommy said daddy was in an accident after I was born."

"You and Nicholas have different fathers?" Xander asked. After a moment of thinking about the question, Ariel nodded. She was far too trusting Xander thought. Being that trusting of people would get her hurt when she got older. "Why don't you think about it for a day and see if you really want me to be your new daddy, okay?" He opened the door and was pleasantly surprised to find a very clean flat that still had the scent of glass and wood cleaner lingering in the air. The bags were dropped in a pile beside the door as he looked around. What really got him was the dining table. Food was all laid out and plates, not paper or polystyrene plates but actual plates, were at each place setting.

"You did this?" He asked Spike who had just appeared holding Nicholas.

"Yeah. Thought I could do something nice for a change. Make this place look presentable." He drawled, rolling his eyes. Nicholas was placed at one of the settings before the blond took his seat. "You just gonna stand there, whelp?"

Xander blushed. Spike decided that he liked the way his Xander looked when he blushed.

Dinner was a quiet affair with Spike telling Xander what he did while he was gone. Ariel had decided to rattle off everything that Xander had bought her and Nicholas. Xander watched, fascinated, as Spike cut up the chicken and vegetables into small enough pieces for Nicholas.

Ever the observant child, Ariel noticed the stolen glances between the two men. It puzzled her but she just thought that maybe it was a grown up thing.

After dinner, while Ariel was showering and brushing her teeth, Xander cornered Spike. "You ordered the food, didn't you?"

"Would've cooked but Man United was playing." Xander laughed at the excuse.

"Ariel asked if I would be her new daddy." Xander sighed and slumped down next to the blonde on the couch.

"Tell anyone I said this, Harris, and I'll deny it. I think you'll make a great da." Spike smiled and grabbed his packet of cigarettes and went outside the building for a smoke. When he came back, Xander had already put Nicholas down for the night and was currently watching the telly with Ariel. "Come on, Niblet, time for bed. You've had a long day and you're yawning." He gave her a gentle push in the direction of his bedroom; chucking her teddy bear in after her.

For a while, Xander and Spike sat silently watching the telly. After a while, Spike began to notice that Xander was having a hard time keeping his eyes open. "Off to bed with you, whelp." He helped the larger man up and led him off to the bedroom. As he was walking out of the room, Spike spun around to face the sleeping man. "Are you bloody blind, Harris?!" Xander's eyes shot open at the volume and tone of the man's voice. "I've been here, what, a month and all I've done is try to get your sodding attention! I packed you lunch for work, cleaned your flat, made you dinner several times, and when you were drunk, I sat with you 'til you could lift your head from the bleedin' toilet! Don't make me say it, boy." Xander looked a bit confused. "I fancy you. I like you. Shit, I fuckin' love you. Every fantasy I wank off to, you're in them. Should I keep going or have you heard enough." Spike sighed deeply.

He had no idea what to say to the devilishly handsome blonde. Sleepily, Xander rose from the bed and caught Spike's slender wrist as he walked out of the room. "You'll wake the kids." Xander smiled at his words and turned Spike to face him. Slowly, Xander leaned down and brushed his lips over Spike's. "Come to bed." He whispered against the vampire's cool, moist lips.

A/N: Sappy, I know but I've been watching sappy movies all day.

PS I'm not updating until I get more reviews. Reviews are my inspiration.


	3. A Visit From Buffy

Reviewers:

Redrose2310- Thanks!

Eileen- You'll find out why the kids, mainly Ariel, are so attached in this chapter but it does have to do with their parents and how they were treated.

Beloved- Thanks! I'm glad you think it's adorable.

Berserker Nightwitch- If you've read any of my other fics, you would know that I base all my original characters on my family members. Ariel is based on my little sister who is the cutest thing.

DarkLights- Sap is good sometimes but it won't be so sappy in upcoming chapters.

WARNING: There will be Buffy-bashing in upcoming chapters. If you don't like this then go away.

On with Chapter 3!!!

Chapter 3: A visit from Buffy

It may have been bright and sunny outside but in Xander's bedroom, everything was still draped in darkness. The fan on the desk in the corner of the room blew a cool breeze on the two entwined, sleeping bodies under the navy comforter. A tuft of curly, blonde hair stuck out from under the top of the comforter, tickling the nose of the brunet beside him.

A single blue eye blinked open, followed by the other and he smiled when his brain kicked in and he remembered where he was. He stretched slowly and pulled the covers down to his chin. This was how it should always have been. In his opinion, there never should have been that whiny cow, Anya or the hatred between him and his love. For Spike, this was heaven. He took in a deep, unneeded breath inhaling his Xander's scent and cataloguing it away in his head. Leaning up on his elbow, Spike studied the young man's features carefully. He reached out a hand to lightly trace down the side of Xander's neck to gently stroke the small bruise just above his collarbone that was a result of last night's activities.

Last night, after Spike's confession of love, Xander had warmly invited the blond into his bed where they had engaged in a quite heated make out session before finally falling asleep with Spike wrapped tightly in Xander's loving embrace.

"Good morning, Spike." Xander yawned, pulling the blonde into his arms and kissing his cheek. "So, are you going to tell me what brought about last night's 'Let's Share' moment?" He asked, turning the blonde in his arms so he could kiss him.

Spike extricated himself from Xander's arms and leaned on one arm. "Are you completely blind, you sodding ninny?" Spike flopped onto his back with a groan, his hands rubbing at his eyes. "Didn't you listen to a damn thing I said last night? For the past month, MONTH, I have been trying to impress you! As much as it pains me to admit it, I've been a right little housewife since I've moved in after you and Anyanka split!" Spike emphasized every few words with a prod to Xander's chest causing the human to grin at him. He crawled over to straddle his love's hips. "What, you thought I packed you lunch just for the hell of it? Why do you think I had dinner ready for you when you came home from work? 'S not like I really need to eat food to stay undead. Okay, so I cleaned the flat partly because I couldn't stand the mess it was in but that's not the point! The shagging point is that I did all this shit to get you to _notice_ me. Last night, I'd finally had enough. Last night I didn't have time to cook because I was watching the little rugrat…My god, my da was right. I am a little nancy boy!" Spike dropped onto the man below him and groaned.

"I thought you were trying to make up for screwing Anya so I wouldn't kick your sorry ass out." Xander chuckled. "Sorry for being so blind." Xander sighed and pressed a kiss to Spike's temple. "If someone had told me when Deadboy offered me to you that we would be laying in bed together one day, I would have laughed and told them to get a lot of help. And you don't have to worry about me telling anyone that you actually have feelings….We'd better get up." Xander moved to push the smaller man off of him but was met with quite a bit of resistance.

"Five more minutes, love." Spike mumbled letting a leg fall over the side of the bed and Xander.

Xander could only laugh and turned the bleached head, kissing Spike long and hard. "Get up." Xander ordered and rolled the nearly nude male off of him and took the blankets with him as he walked out of the bedroom.

"No-one's this cruel! Not even Peaches!" Spike pouted from the bed. With a drawn out, overly dramatic sigh he grabbed a pair of Xander's sweatpants and slipped them on, pulling the drawstring as much as he could to make them fit his small frame.

Xander had already scooped out the coffee grinds and was measuring the water when Spike entered the kitchen and plopped onto a barstool. "Has Nicholas said anything yet?" Xander asked.

Spike shook his head. "Hasn't said a word. Could be a mental thing. Traumatic situation and whatnot." He chose an apple from the bowl on the counter and noisily bit into it before circling around to the refrigerator to retrieve a mug of blood. "He has no problem talking to his sister, though. Thought about what to do with them?" The microwave beeped and Spike took out the blood, nearly draining the entire mug in one gulp.

Xander grimaced. Spike lapped at the remainder of blood along his upper lip and the corners of his mouth, savouring the taste of the last of his supply of human blood. "Ariel practically begged me to adopt her and Nicholas yesterday." He paused and flicked his gaze from his coffee cup to the blonde. "I think I know why she wants me to adopt her. Yesterday, she either avoided the topic of her parents completely or she hinted that she didn't have a good home life. I guess when you have a father who doesn't really care about you; you'll latch onto whoever does show they care. Does that make any sense?" Spike nodded and leaned over the counter to kiss Xander. "I was thinking that you could move your things into my room and they could have your room."

Spike had never seen the young man so serious before. So much for him being the somewhat dense, goofy Scooby. He had always sensed that his goofy image was a cover for the man underneath. "I'm guessing you can relate to the little bits, huh?" Xander nodded slightly. "When're you gonna tell the other little Scoobies about Ariel and Nicholas?" Xander shrugged and was about to walk into the vampire's outstretched arms when the door to the flat opened. "Why don't you lock the door?" Xander shrugged and grabbed a t-shirt from the laundry basket on the dining table.

"I have been calling you for over an hour! Is there a reason why you're not picking up your phone?" Buffy screeched.

"Shut the bloody hell up, slayer!" Spike called from Xander's room. "Quit stealing my hair gel!" Spike whined, chucking an empty tube of gel into the rubbish bin.

"Stay out of this. Go…Bleach your hair or something." Buffy shot back.

"Um, Buff, I'm going to hafta tell you to keep your voice down." Buffy gave Xander an inquisitive look. "I've, um, uh, well it's like this. Coffee?" Xander wasn't sure how to tell his friend about the two children asleep in the next room.

"Why don't you just tell me what's going on." Buffy demanded, her hands firmly placed on her hips.

"Now's really not a good time, Buff. What brings you here at this time of day anyway?" Xander asked, desperately trying to change the subject.

"Not much, new nest of vamps in town. Xander, you are aware that it's almost noon, right?" There was something off about Xander but she couldn't put her finger on it. She watched with a curious expression as a small girl with light brown hair in lilac pyjamas emerged from the bedroom, yawning. "And who are you?" Buffy asked.

Ariel walked over to Xander and held out her arms so he could lift her onto the counter. She lifted the box of cereal, placing it next to her and waited for Xander to put out a bowl and milk for her.

"Where's your brother?" Xander asked, taking the container of milk from her and pouring a bit into the bowl piled high with cereal.

"Will's giving him a bath." She responded as she shovelled the multi-coloured breakfast food into her mouth. "Who's she?" She whispered, pointing discreetly at the blonde.

"Ariel, this is Buffy, she's my friend. Buffy, this is Ariel. Spike and I found her and her brother while we were patrolling." Xander told Buffy.

"How old are you, Ariel?" Buffy asked. Her voice held something of a condescending tone that Xander immediately picked up on.

"I'll be seven on November 2nd." Ariel smiled sweetly at the blonde and quickly finished her breakfast.

"She's really small for someone who's gonna be seven." Buffy commented. "So, were you planning on revealing that you and fangless went domestic, like ever? I mean, what's next? You go gay on us?"

Xander blushed. "Actually, I was planning on waiting until everyone was present but yeah, I'm gay. Well, bi leaning towards gay, actually but that's not the point. What's with you anyway?"

A mildly soaked Spike came out of the bathroom holding a giggling Nicholas at arms length. " Here you go, daddy." Xander took Nicholas from the vampire and watched him retreat to their bedroom to change his shirt.

"Did he just call you 'daddy'? Did he just go into _your_ bedroom?" Buffy's voice was tainted with disgust.

He sat the toddler on the counter and wiped at his brown hair with a towel. "If you're gonna get all judgemental on me, I suggest you get the hell out of my house. If you have a problem with my love life or my taking in Ariel and Nicholas then I think you should leave." He stated calmly and carried Nicholas into his and Spike's bedroom and closed the door. "Listen, for the past year or so, you have been nothing but bitchy to everyone. Yeah, okay, you're the slayer. Big fucking deal! It's not like you're god! We have bigger problems here! To be honest, I don't want to be your friend if you are going to continue being a bitch." Xander sighed and leaned against the wall.

"When did you grow a pair?! I also came by to drop this off." She said shoving an amulet into Xander's hand. "Give it to Spike."

Xander opened his hand to see a heavy, golden amulet. He wondered what it was for but figured that Spike would probably know.

A/N: I hate this chapter. I had such a hard time getting it out but here it is. It's really bad. I've been sick and overworked lately so it's not my best. The next chapter should be better. Thank you to all of you who reviewed.

This fic would fit in right about the end of the last season of Buffy just before the destruction of Sunnydale.


	4. Daddy's Boyfriend

**_WARNING: MORE BUFFY-BASHING! I'm sorry, she just turned into a real bitch towards the end._**

**_A/N: I'm using Spike's age given in Fool for Love and tacking on he years from then to the time this story takes place putting him at about 123-124 ish._**

**_Chapter four: Daddy's boyfriend_**

Xander held the amulet out to Spike. "I take it the Slayer is gone?" Spike quirked a scarred eyebrow and took the amulet from Xander. "What is it?"

"Besides it looking like something from the Mr. T reject pile?" Xander shrugged and sank onto the bed. "Is it just me or has she gotten bitchy?" He rolled onto his stomach and propped his chin in his palm. Spike smiled warmly at the young twenty-something and pressed a light kiss to his mouth. Xander grinned. "That's something I wanted to talk to you about. I mean where do we stand? Is there an 'us' or what? Am I your boyfriend or something?"

Spike chuckled. "Xander Harris wants to have a chat about relationships? I want there to be an us." Spike admitted shyly. "I've wanted there to be an us for a while now. At first I just wanted you for your ass (A/N: Sounds weird. I don't think I've ever heard Spike say 'arse')." He grinned remembering all the times he had had a good wank to images of Xander doing naughty things.

"I want there to be an us, too. I've only been attracted to three guys in my life but you're the only one I've ever been able to see myself with for more than a fling."

"You gonna tell me who the other two guys are or am I going to have to find out myself?" Spike joked. He brushed a curl of brown hair away from Xander's eyes. "Did she say anything about what this thing does?"

"Who? Oh, Buffy? Nah. She bitched about stuff but said nothing about the necklace." He watched as Spike pulled the gold chain over his head. Glancing over to the corner, Xander spied little Nicholas about to eat something he shouldn't. "Come here, little guy." The Star Wars action figure was placed back in the shoe box and carried the toddler over to the bed. "No eating the action figures. Come on, let's get you fed."

Spike grinned and followed the two out of the bedroom. Walking into the room next door, Spike watched Ariel as she combed he tangles from her hair. "Want some help?" Spike asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Ariel nodded and sat in front of him and gave him the comb. "So, you really want Xander to adopt you?" He eased the comb through her hair, carefully untangling the knots as he came to them.

"I like him. He's nicer than my daddy and step-dad were. I know I've only known him for a few days but he's got to be nicer than my old parents." She sighed deeply and let the blonde continue to comb her hair. "Do you live here?" She asked, turning to face him.

"Mm-hm." Spike nodded.

"Are you like my babysitter?"

He thought about that for a moment. "I don't know." Was he just a sitter for the two children?

"If you're a vampire, then how old are you?"

"123 years old."

"Why don't you have fangs?" She leaned in close, trying to get a good look at his teeth.

"I do but they only come out when I want them to." Explained Spike.

"Can I see?"

"When you're older." The young girl nodded and shot Spike a bright smile.

"When were you born?"

Spike laughed. "Why are you asking me so many questions?" She shrugged. "I was born in London in 1880."

"Mommy and daddy said they would take me and Nicky to London."

Spike saw the pensive expression on her small face and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'll take the two of you to London one day." He sighed. "What do you want to do today?" He asked, motioning for the girl to turn around so he could tie up her hair.

Nicholas sat on the couch eating a box of Animal Crackers while Xander flipped through the channels finally settling on cartoons. He was stroking Nicholas' hair when Spike came and plopped onto the couch followed by Ariel.

"Ya know, kids in my day read books. Didn't watch cartoons all day." Spike commented half-heartedly.

"That's a nice story grandpa. What are you talking about?! You didn't even have electricity!"

"No television?" Ariel asked completely amazed.

"Nope."

She looked hopefully to Xander. "Are we gonna have a new mommy, too?"

Xander looked from Spike to the girl and back again. "C'mere sweety." Xander pulled her into his lap. "Aren't me and uncle Will enough?" She shrugged making Xander chuckle. "Would it bother you if one day you had two daddies?" He asked.

"Like a step-dad?" She asked, not really understanding what the man said.

"No, like another dad. Instead of having a mother and father, you had, instead of a mother, another father." He paused and thought about how to make it easier for the six year old to understand. "Okay, this might be easier. How would you like it if one day, Will became your dad?"

"Would I have two mommies, too?"

Spike balanced Nicholas on his knee. "Ariel, some children have a mummy and daddy or just a mummy or just a daddy but some children have two mummies or two daddies." Spike explained. She seemed to understand the concept of a gay parent a little better.

_RING!_

Xander reached behind him and lifted the phone from the receiver. "Hey! G-man, what's up?...Yeah, we'll be there." He glanced over to Spike who was wildly gesturing to the children. "Fangless and I won't be alone tonight. No, not dates. Yeah, we'll see ya later. Later, G-Man." He hung up the phone and motioned for Ariel and Nicholas to go pack some toys for when they went to Buffy's. "I'll ask Willow to get me the adoption papers and whatever other documents I'll need. Do you think the kids'll be alright with me as their new father?"

"They'll be fine. You'll be a great da. Did you mean it before when you asked her if it would be okay if I could be her other da one day?" He asked, snuggling up against the larger man.

"I plan on being with you for a while." Xander admitted. He knew that Spike craved love and that when he loved someone, he loved them with his whole being. Case in point: Drusilla.

"You'll make a great father for them. We've only had them what, two days, and Nicky only likes it when you change him and Ariel likes you." Xander smiled and turned to kiss Spike fully on the mouth.

"So, do we tell the rest of the Scoobies and the potentials about us?"

A/N: I know that chapter ended weird but that's just how I ended it so that it flows to the next chapter smoothly.


	5. Preparing for the Worst

Reviews:

Beloved- Thank you! I'm glad you like it.

Layce74- Thanks!

Slayercrazy144- There isn't much going on right now. I'm just trying to establish their relationship. Trust me, it will live up to its rating in a few chapters.

Closet guy- I don't think Buffy's way out of character. I think she's pissed about things. Also, as the end of the series neared, I think she progressively became bitchier.

A/N: Spike was not taken by the Bringers in this fic. This fic pretty much picks up after the events at the end of _Potential_through_ First Date_.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Blah blah blah…don't sue.

Chapter 5: Preparing for the Worst

Spike and Xander stood outside the Summers residence readying themselves for what would surely be an onslaught of questions as soon as they walked in the door. Spike gave Xander a reassuring smile and a quick peck on the lips before squatting down to eye level with the children. "Be on your best behaviour, okay? I'm sure everyone will love the two of you." He kissed both of them on the forehead and lifted Nicholas, resting him on his hip. They walked up to the door and Xander hesitantly reached a hand out to open it. He took a deep breath and pushed the door open.

The potentials were all sitting in the lounge watching a movie when Xander entered, followed by the two new additions to the Harris family and Spike behind him. The door closed and the girls all turned to see who had come in. The potentials eyed them with confusion and shock.

"Hey, girls." Xander rocked awkwardly from one foot to the other for a moment then turned to the dining room where he was met with more confused faces. "Hey G-man!"

"I have asked you countless times not to call me _G-man_." Giles sighed, cleaning his glasses.

Dawn, who was seated at the corner of the table between Buffy and Giles, squealed with delight at seeing the two children. "They're so cute!"

"Ariel, Nicholas, this is your new aunt." He turned to look at Damn. "Do you think you could keep them occupied for a little bit?" He asked, handing her Nicholas' nappie bag. She nodded happily and led them to her room while the two men joined their friends at the dining table. Before anyone could speak, Xander turned to Willow and asked her if she could help him with adopting the children. Willow agreed, stating she would do anything for her best friend. They hugged and then each grabbed a slice of pizza from the boxes on the table.

Once the pizza boxes were cleared, Willow set up her laptop trying to find something on Buffy's date. Nothing was coming up on Principal Wood. The girls crowded around Willow looked up to see Anya placing a stack of papers on the table. The girls went through them, looking at Giles' stick figure drawings that he had used to try to show Chao-Ann how important the situation was.

The heavy pattering of little feet caught the attention of the group in the dining room. Ariel came in running to Xander and Spike. "Look! Auntie Dawn put make-up on me!" She squealed.

"You put make-up on her?" "You put make-up on my daughter?" Spike and Xander shouted in unison.

"It was her idea!" Dawn protested as she walked over to Spike and handed him Nicholas.

"She's six!" Xander exclaimed, picking Ariel up and taking a look at the made up girl. "At least it's not too much." He sighed and apologized to Dawn for yelling at her.

On the other side of the dining room, Anya watched the scene unfold and a puzzled expression crept over her face. She noticed how close her ex-fiancé stood next to the vampire and scowled. The former vengeance demon noted both Spike and Xander's reactions to finding out Dawn had made over the girl and that they hadn't fought once yet. "Oh my God! Spike's shacking up with Xander!" Anya blurted out, drawing everyone's attention to the couple. "Is this why you couldn't marry me? Because you wanted Spike? And where did the kids come from?"

"We'd have to tell them sooner or later." Xander glanced at his boyfriend who was now casually leaning against the wall and ignoring what Anya was saying. He looked down at the girl now standing at his side and gave her a nudge towards Spike. "Why don't you and your brother go into the kitchen with Will." The child nodded and walked into the next room holding her little brother's hand. He turned to face his friends who were all watching him intently now. "Yes, Spike and I are together." He sighed, plopping into the dining room chair.

"Finally!" Willow exclaimed from behind the computer.

"You found something on Principal Wood?" Dawn asked.

"No. It's about time Xander and Spike got together. Spike's been mooning after Xander long enough and besides, it'll be nice to have another gay couple around here." Willow smiled before getting up and tightly embracing her friend. "Wait, so where do the kids come into play?" Willow asked.

"Remember the night Spike and I went on patrol?" She nodded. "Well, we were walking by the cemetery when we saw a group of vamps around a burning station wagon. Nicholas and Ariel were trying to get out the back. In comes Spike to distract the vamps while I took the kids and ran. Their parents were drained. We took them home and they get along really well with Spike. Ariel's always asking him questions and Nicky pretty much only lets Spike change him. And the other day, when I took Ariel shopping for new things, she asked me to adopt her." He explained.

"Wait, so how are you and Spike together?" Dawn asked.

"When we came back from shopping, Spike ad dinner out. It was nice. After he put the kids to sleep in his room, he came ranting and raving in my room and started yelling at me about how oblivious I am then I kissed him." Xander felt himself blushing and looked over to Willow, Dawn, and Kennedy who were gushing about how cute the couple was. "So today, I asked Willow if she would help me with the adoption papers." He paused. "I don't like to talk about their parents' deaths in front of them just yet." He walked over to the kitchen door and told them they could come back in.

Spike placed Nicholas on a chair along with his sister and stood next to his boyfriend. "Xan, it's getting late and Nicky's tired. Wanna go home." Spike discreetly entwined his fingers with Xander's behind the back of the chair.

Xander nodded and turned to his friends, explaining that it was past Nicky and Ariel's bedtimes and that they should be heading home. "Go give your aunties Dawn and Willow a hug." He whispered to Ariel and pushed her in the direction of the two women with outstretched arms. "Giles?" Xander shifted his gaze to the older man, searching for his approval of his relationship. If there was one thing Xander desperately wanted when it came to his relationship with the vampire, it was Giles' approval. The man was the closest thing he had to a real father.

"Xander, if Spike makes you happy then that's all that matters." Giles replied with a warm smile.

Spike carried Nicholas into their flat and dressed him for bed. "Go wash up." He told Ariel who obediently headed to the bathroom to wash up. When she emerged, she found Spike sitting on the bed holding a pair of pyjamas for her. "Change and get into bed, your da and I will be in to say goodnight in a few minutes, 'kay?" He patted her on the head and walked into his new bedroom. "So, some big evil's coming." He said, wrapping his arms around Xander's neck. "Listen, pet, In a few days, when this whole evil goes down, I want you out of here. I want you to take the kids and my car and go to Angel. The last thing we need is me worrying about you during the fight. Pack up whatever you'll need and go. I'll come get you when this is all over and it's safe to come back. There's a small chest in he other room that I want you to bring to LA. If something happens to Sunnydale, I want to know that it's safe." Spike felt comfortable enough around Xander to drop all his walls and be himself. He was planning for the worst. He wanted to know that even if he didn't make it out of this fight safely, something that was part of him would. He had stowed away all sorts of mementos in the chest and he wanted Xander and the kids to have it. The blonde vampire knew that he had just scared his love but it was something he needed the brunette to do for him.

Xander pulled the smaller man to him in a loving embrace and kissed him softly. "Promise to come get us after? I know you can't come with but can't someone else be the hero?" He asked softly, his forehead resting against Spike's.

"Sorry, love, can't do that. You'll be fine with the broody one." He kissed the other man again then pulled out of his embrace. "Let's say goodnight to Ariel and Nicky."

A/N: YAY! Reviews! I hope you guys like this chapter and for those of you who are patiently waiting for Xander and Spike to have sex, you'll have to wait another chapter or two. Sorry, that's just how the story goes. If I get enough reviews I might get the chapter out sooner.


	6. Sharing

Reviews:

Anegativegrl- EEP! I don't know what to say except that you're going to have to read on and find out what happens but there will be a relatively happy ending. Don't worry; I'm not splitting Xander and Spike up in this fic.

Siren of the Darknessflame- Sorry but this won't become a X/A fic. I have an X/A fic in progress, though.

Kat R. Fair- NO!! I can't say what's gonna happen! What I will say is that it will make 99.98 of the readers happy.

Redrose2310- I can't say what the ending will be like just that everyone will enjoy it (Except for those that wanted Xander to get with Angel).

Mus4u- Here's your chapter!

Angelkitty77- I've always imagined Spike as being a semi-hard ass in front of others but really sweet and loving to those he loves.

Chapter Six: Sharing

Xander and Spike finished tucking the children into bed then climbed into their own bed in hopes of going to sleep. Of course, with everything going on, sleep was the farthest thing from their minds. Xander felt the cool body beside him snuggle closer and a hand begin to lazily trace designs on his chest. Spike purred softly as the younger man combed his fingers through his short, curly hair. Suddenly, the 5'11 vampire slid out of bed and crept into the next room and brought back a small, enamel box that fit in the palm of his hand with some kind of flower on the lid. He sat back down on the bed and opened the box.

"After Dru turned me, I went back home and turned my mum because she was ill. As thanks for saving her life, kid of, she gave me this box. I hated it. I kept it at the bottom of my footlocker so no one would see it. Anyway, I keep the things I value most in here." He fished around the rectangular box and pulled out a ring. It was relatively plain for a signet ring. Set deep into the band on either side of the crest was a small black onyx and bloodstone. Spike took Xander's hand and slid the ring onto his left pinkie. "The bloodstone is to help you overcome obstacles and calm your fears of an enemy and the Onyx is for protection. My father gave me the ring when I turned eighteen. It just makes me feel better knowing that there is something to help protect you when I can't." He closed the box and placed it on the bedside table. Knowing that Spike cared about him enough to give him his father's ring made him feel all warm inside. Spike ran his thumb over the engraving on the top of the ring before pressing a kiss to his palm. "I forgot." Spike leaned over and pulled an oval brooch and a heavy ring from the box. He fingered the ring before giving it to Xander to look at. "I figure that I would share some of the most important things with you. This was another of my father's rings. After I turned my mother, my father took a cutting of her hair before she was buried and had this mourning ring made. I took it from him after he died." He watched as Xander studied the front of the ring. "See, these are my mum's initials: _L. J. A_., Lucretia Judith Ambrose. On the other side is the cutting of her hair." Explained Spike then handed Xander the brooch.

Xander was surprised to see a slightly different looking Spike delicately painted on one side of the brooch and a curl of light brown hair on the other side. "William Christopher Ambrose." Xander read. "You didn't change much except for the hair. Same facial expression, too." He leaned in and kissed him. "Thank you for sharing this with me." He reached and placed the ring and brooch on the bedside table and pulled Spike on top of him. "Would you mind if I called you Will?" The head lying on his chest shook making Xander smile. "Will, turn the light off." Xander ordered.

Spike obediently went and shut the light off and closed the door before pouncing on top of the bed and Xander. His slender hand intertwined with Xander's. "Promise me that when the time comes, you won't do anything stupid."

"I promise." Xander whispered before leaning up and capturing the blonde's lips in a passionate, yet soft, kiss.

The couple lay in bed for nearly an hour just kissing, their hands pressed as tightly together as their bodies were. A rock hard erection was pressed against Xander's hip, slowly rocking back and forth as Spike ground against his boyfriend wrenching the most delightful gasps and sighs from the young man. Right now, Spike wanted nothing more than to pound him into the mattress and make him scream but he pushed it all aside, reminded himself that the kids were in the next room. He needed to figure out a way to get them out of the house either the next day or the day after so he and Xander could have some alone time before he sent Xander and the children off. His blue eyes darted to the digital clock on the bedside table. "We should get some sleep." He murmured against the soft lips beneath him. He laughed at Xander's sound of protest when he pulled away.

Not five minutes later, Spike and Xander fell asleep with Spike's head on Xander's chest.

The next morning saw Spike and Xander in the kitchen with Xander complaining about the state in which Spike left him last night. Spike found the whole situation amusing and watched as Xander became ever more flustered before closing the distance between them and kissing him. A pair of pale, thin arms wrapped around Xander's neck, pulling him closer. "I love you."

Xander pulled back, his brown eyes wide with shock. "I mean, you said it before but you were ranting. Do you mean it?"

"I'd never lie to you about that, pet." He smiled and soon found himself seated on the countertop next to the sink.

"I love you, too." Xander grinned and resumed kissing him fiercely. A feeling of being complete and at peace settled over him whenever the vampire had his arms around him.

"Eew!"

Xander pulled away from Spike, giving him room to hop off the counter. The brunette had a somewhat dazed expression from their brief, but intense, snog fest. Spike swept the half asleep girl up in his arms and plopped her in front of the counter. "What would you like for breakfast?" Xander asked.

"Ice cream?" She asked hopefully, throwing in a pout just for good measure.

"No ice cream for breakfast, Ariel." Spike said, his voice as stern as it could be. "I invented that pout."

"She picked up your pout in four days. Stop corrupting her!" Xander scolded while waving Spike's mug before placing it in the microwave.

Ariel gave her father and Spike a curious look. "Why were you kissing daddy? Boys don't kiss. That's what my old mommy and daddy said. They said it was disgusting."

"Pancakes okay?" Xander asked taking the box out of the cabinet, ignoring what the girl was telling them that her parents had said. She nodded and smiled brightly. Spike gave his significant other a pleading look. "She asked you so you answer." Spike stuck his tongue out at him.

"Well, niblet, I was kissing your father because I love him very much. It's okay for boys to kiss other boys. There's nothing wrong with it, princess. Just remember, love comes in all different shapes and sizes and that it's never wrong to love someone because they have the same bits as you. So are you alright with me being your father's boyfriend?" She wrapped her small arms around the blonde's neck and kissed his cheek.

"You're cold." She commented.

"I'm a vampire." When he turned around, Spike saw that Xander had his blood all ready for him. "With Weetabix and cinnamon and everything. This is why I love you, Xander, because you feed me." Spike gave him a quick peck on the lips before turning on the television and drinking his breakfast.

"Can you go wake you brother, sweetie?" Xander asked, pouring the pancake batter into the pan. "Will, can you see if Nicky needs to be changed?"

"Did you just call me Will?" Spike asked, placing the mug in the sink and giving it a preliminary rinse, knowing that Xander hated cleaning out his bloody mugs.

"Yeah, that is your name, isn't it?" Xander smiled as he checked a pancake to be flipped.

"Think Giles'll watch the kids for the night?" Spike asked, his arms wrapping around Xander's waist. "We could finish what we started last night." He planted a kiss just below Xander's ear and went into the bathroom to shower.

With a sigh of utter frustration, Xander piled the cooked pancakes onto a plate for Ariel and started on making smaller pancakes for Nicholas. He placed the plate in font of Ariel and checked the boy's nappie to see if he needed to be changed which he didn't. The thing that was troubling him most was telling Ariel and Nicholas that they needed to go away for a while without Will and that there was a chance they might not get to see him again. Nicholas might have been only two years old but he was a very perceptive two year old and could tell when his favourite care taker was out of the room and would usually go to try and find the blond. He pushed all the negative thoughts out of his head and told Ariel to help her brother with his breakfast seeing as the boy was getting pancake everywhere but in his mouth.

A wisp of steam curled up from under the bathroom door drawing Xander's attention away from the children. "When you're done eating, go and get you and your brother dressed, okay?" He asked kindly and kissed the top of her head. A cloud of steam, accompanied by Spike's singing, hit Xander the second he opened the bathroom door. "Xan?" A foamy, blond head poked out of the shower curtain. The sight of Spike with his hair all shampooed into an attempt at a Mohawk was quite possibly the most amusing and the most adorable thing Xander had ever seen.

"Just brushing my teeth." Xander shouted over the radio and water. As Xander was rinsing his mouth, a very wet and very naked Spike stepped out of the shower and padded over to where Xander was to pick up the towel he had placed by the sink earlier, purposely leaning against twenty-two year old who was combing his hair. Glancing to his right, Xander noticed that his boyfriend was taking his time wrapping the fluffy, blue towel around his hips giving Xander quite an eyeful, not that he hadn't seen Spike naked before, though. Brown eyes roamed hungrily over the alabaster form leaning casually against the wall in front of him. He noticed that the loosely secured towel about the vampire's waist was gradually riding lower and lower. A pink tongue darted out to moisten parched lips as Xander watched the towel slip over a sharp hip bone as if he was willing the towel to fall off.

Spike smirked at hearing the younger man swallow quite loudly. The intense waves of pheromones coming of the boy was enough to make the blond want to throw Xander to floor, rip off the boy's clothing and brutally fuck him into next year. Then again, getting Spike to that particular level of desire wasn't all too hard.

"Change, get out and watch the kids." Xander squeaked, his voice far too high. He quickly stripped out of his clothes as soon as Spike closed the bathroom door behind him and jumped into a very cold shower.

Spike was sitting with Ariel and Nicholas on the couch watching a movie when he realised that Xander had been in the shower way too long. He listened and noted that the water in the shower was still running but he was wondering why it was still running. The water had been running for nearly forty-five minutes, he noted. Finally, Spike lifted the boy from his lap and placed him on the couch, instructing Ariel to watch him until he came back. Pushing the curtain back, Spike quickly turned off the chilly water and pulled Xander to his feet. He took the navy, terry cloth dressing gown from behind the door and helped Xander into it.

Together, Spike and Xander sat on the shaggy rug in front of the tub with their backs against the outside of it. An arm wrapped tightly around Xander's shoulders, drawing the larger man closer. "What's wrong, pet?" Spike asked him, pushing a lock of damp brown hair behind Xander's ear. His lips pressed against the brunette's temple as he took one of Xander's hands in his own.

"It's just- we just got together and now you're telling me to run away. You are just as much a father to them as I am, Will. I don't want you to go and open the seal with them and fight with them but I know you have to." He sighed, his head lolling to the side and coming to rest on Spike's shoulder.

"Were you sitting in a cold shower the entire time just now?" Spike questioned.

Xander shook his head. "No, after you left I took a cold shower, then I took a regular shower and I must have switched it back to cold after. You worry about me, don't you?" A small smile began to creep slowly over Xander's face.

"More than anything, pet. We need to get you dressed. Come on." He gave Xander's arm a gentle tug.


	7. Speeches, Potentials, and Sex

**Reviews:**

**_Angelkitty77_- I can't say what's going to happen, sorry.**** Thank you for liking my work.**

**_Redrose2310_- Thanks, They are cute, aren't they?**

**_Mus4u_- Hehehe.**** Here's another chapter.**

**_Anegativegurl_****- No****, I'm not sick of you reviewing! Thanks and who doesn't love Spander fluff w/ kids?**

**_A/N_: This chapter picks up right at the end of _Story Teller_ and runs through _Dirty Girls_, with appropriate changes, of course. Some Dialogue is taken from the episode.**

**Chapter 8: Speeches, potentials, and sex**

Xander tiptoed around the mass of sleeping bags on his lounge floor and into the children's bedroom where several of the potentials were sitting on the bed chatting amiably with Ariel while Nicholas was being passed around the circle of girls. He stood by the door watching as one of the potentials braided Ariel's hair and another painted her nails. "Girls, it's almost bedtime for these two." Xander saw the little brunette pout. A surprisingly stern look from Xander told her that she was not to argue with him about bedtime.

Out in the kitchen, Spike was enjoying his evening mug of blood when a round of shriek-like laughter reached his ears. Spike tried to block out the irritating, shrill sounds from the next room and attempted to concentrate on only hearing the odd hum of the refrigerator. His plan failed and the empty mug slammed onto the table. Grabbing his pack of smokes from the end of the counter and left the flat.

Spike's abandoned mug sat on the counter, the blood starting to dry along the edge. Xander grimaced and picked it up without touching it too much. He muttered something about making Spike do the dishes if he forgot to wash his mug out again as he squirted more than enough detergent into the mug and turned on the faucet. After he did the dishes, Xander made a mental note to invest in a dishwasher so he wouldn't have to touch Spike's mugs.

The door to the flat opened and in walked Spike with a cigarette dangling from his lips. Xander poked his head out into the lounge as he dried a dish. "Out. Come back in when you finish that." Xander ordered, pointing to the door with the towel in his hand.

A few minutes later, after Spike had come back inside, there was a knock at the door that only Spike could hear over the din in the lounge. The blonde rose and opened the door after he made sure the chain was on.

From Xander's place on the couch he could barely see who was at the door. He supposed that when Spike closed the door and slid the chain off that it was someone who didn't pose a threat. Curious, Xander got up and walked behind Spike, motioning for the girls to be a bit quieter.

"What is going on in there?" A squat, aggravated, middle-asked woman asked, flickering from Xander to Spike.

"We just have some house guests." Xander replied nonchalantly.

The woman tried to peer over their shoulders to get a look inside the flat. "I'm not the only person complaining, you know, Mr. Harris. The Kelsons from down the hall said they saw a large group of girls going in there. What kind of house guests are you entertaining, anyway?"

Xander rolled his eyes and turned to Spike. "I'll talk to her. You can make sure the kids are getting ready for bed. Tell the potentials they have ten minutes before lights out." He turned back to his neighbour. "I'm just letting a few people stay with me while they're here. And the Kelsons are exaggerating. Yeah sure, I had people over earlier but most of them left."

"Don't think I won't report you or call the police if this happens again." She waved a finger at him. Xander made to close the door on her but her foot stopped him. "Oh, and your _friend _nearly ran over my poor Bitsy with that car of his! Not to mention that he's been smoking in the hallway again-"

"Good night Mrs. Tyler." Xander said as he closed the door on the woman. He turned with his back against the door facing the potentials, pleased to see that most of them were settling into their sleeping bags. He started to pick up the stray pieces of garbage littering the dining table and end tables before going to check on Ariel and Nicholas. The little boy was already curled on his side with his thumb in his mouth. Next to him, Ariel was nodding off as Spike told her a story. The blond was a natural with children. Xander walked closer and cleared his throat, making his presence known.

Spike leaned over the girl to place a kiss on Nicholas' forehead then moved to kiss Ariel on the forehead. "Goodnight, Niblets." He was met by a soft ' 'Night Will.' He turned and Xander standing behind him.

"G'night, daddy." Ariel yawned.

"Good night, sweetie." He said smoothing her hair. "Good night, Nicky." He said to the sleeping boy. Xander kissed both of them good night and waited until he noticed both children wear sleeping. "Lights out." He heard from the other room. The flat was dark except for the nightlight in the bathroom and the soft glow of a single lamp coming from Xander and Spike's room and the kids' room. He flicked off the bedside lamp and went to his own bedroom where Spike was already in bed, presumably asleep. Except for the rustling of Xander's clothes, there wasn't a single sound in the house. Careful not to wake the sleeping vampire, Xander slid under the covers and sighed contentedly.

"Mm my Xan-pet." Spike mumbled and turned on his side to fling an arm over Xander's exposed torso.

Grinning, Xander gathered his boyfriend in his arms and realised that even with a room full of teenage girls outside and two sleeping children in the room next to theirs, Spike still chose to sleep nude, not that Xander minded all too much. Another thing he realised was that something very hard was pressing insistently against his thigh. Now Xander knew Spike was awake by the way the vampire's mouth was suctioned to his collarbone and a slim, long-fingered hand was slowly making its way down to the top of Xander's boxers, only making a detour to tease his nipples. "Will, I know you're awake." Xander whispered.

"What's your point, boy?" Spike asked, his tongue swiping nearly the entire length of Xander's neck making the boy to shiver.

Xander could feel Spike smirk against his neck as the wandering hand worked to slip his boxers down. "What are you doing?" Xander asked dumbly.

"I would have thought that it would be obvious, I'm getting you naked." He finally just sat up and slid the offending article of clothing off with both hands. Blue eyes roamed adoringly over the relatively muscled body.

Xander was mentally hitting himself for not stopping the blond from taking his boxers. He sighed and let his head fall deeper into the down pillow.

"Xan-der" Spike purred, drawing out the length of his name. He figured that if he were to get Xander aroused enough, the young man would finally give in and shag him. Spike sat astride Xander's hips, his cool cock pressing lightly against Xander's. Leaning down, Spike captured Xander's mouth in a sweet kiss that left Xander dazed. "Come on, you know you want to."

He was trying his darndest. He really was, but having a gorgeous, naked, horny man sitting on top of you, it was hard to not give in and fuck the blond into the mattress. In his attempt to try and will his erection away, Xander wound up biting his lip till it bled. Unfortunately, the scent of his blood hit the vampire and only made him hornier as he gently began to thrust against the warm cock. "Damn it, Will. No, not tonight, okay?" The blond pouted. "Gah! No!" Xander rolled the slim body off him and turned on his side so he wouldn't have to see Spike. The only problem was that Spike was growing harder by the second as he was presented with the sight of Xander's tight bum.

"Xan, 'm needy!" He whined softly. "I didn't even get a good night kiss."

"What the hell do you call that kiss before?"

"Not a goodnight kiss?" He answered hopefully. He was pleased when Xander rolled over to face him and kissed him long and hard. When Xander broke away for air, Spike took that time to pay some attention to the spot on Xander's neck that always made him go weak. He was rewarded by being pinned down by Xander.

In-between kisses, Xander felt Spike shift under him and reach out to the bedside table with one hand and wrench open the drawer. Spike's hand came back holding a plastic bottle. "Fuck me.." He pleaded, needlessly panting as Xander rolled them over so the blond was yet again straddling his hips. Spike shook his head as Xander went to stretch his lover. "I can take it, don't worry." He reassured Xander by taking on of the human's hands in his. With his other hand, Spike poured the clear lubricant into Xander's hand.

"You will have to be quiet, you know." Xander reminded just seconds before the vampire squeaked as he impaled himself on his partner. The grip on Xander's hand tightened and he noticed Spike's crystal blue eyes were clenched shut. "Shh, relax." He whispered, kissing Spike's knuckles.

Xander pulled Spike down for a searing kiss as he came deep inside him, moaning into Spike's mouth. It didn't take Xander more than a few quick strokes to get Spike off with a soft whimper of 'Alex.' Spike collapsed onto Xander's chest, not even caring that he was lying in a puddle of his own come. He snuggled closer; listening to his lover's racing heart. Kissing Xander softly on the lips, Spike leaned over he edge of the bed and grabbed a t-shirt. He lovingly wiped Xander's chest and stomach clean before wiping himself down.

"Was that my shirt?" Xander drawled.

"I'll wash it." Spike responded, chucking the dirty shirt to the corner. "Mm, I love you. See, I can be quiet."

"You're never quiet, Will." Xander smiled. "Did you call me 'Alex' before?"

Spike nodded and wrapped his arms around the other man. "Yeah. You look more like an Alex." Leaning up, Spike kissed his love softly. This was perfect. There was something about this man that made everything they did together so perfect. He tried but found he couldn't put his finger on what it was that made him love this man so intensely. It hadn't even been like this when he was with Dru. It was then that Spike realised that Xander was still lodged inside him. With a final kiss, Spike gently lifted himself off Xander and lay next to him. There was a sudden loss of 'fullness' that made Spike want Xander inside him again. He lay half on, half off of his boyfriend's body, their hands twined together.

"I love you, Will." Xander whispered before falling asleep.

"Xander!" A teenage girl shouted from the doorway.

It took Xander a few moments to register the fact that someone was shouting at him. "Wha-?" He peeked open an eye and saw Rona and two other girls standing in his doorway. He glanced over to Spike and saw that he was starting to stir.

"God Damn it!" Rona sighed, looking pointedly at Xander.

"What's going on? I was sleeping."

"Dominique has the stomach flu, and the toilet bowl is backed up." Said the irritated teen.

"I'll be right out." He sighed, his head falling back down on the pillow. For once, he was glad he put his boxers on. He slipped out from under Spike's arm and padded of the room and into the bathroom. The girls patiently waited outside while he worked to unclog the toilet. Finally, when he was sure the damned thing was still backed up; Xander stumbled into bed and back into the arms of his lover.

Xander awoke to what he thought was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen: a seriously debauched, thoroughly shagged, sleeping Will who just happened to be purring. It always amazed him how innocent and almost child-like the bleached wonder looked when he was asleep. He just lay there and looked at him sleeping on his side, pressed tightly against Xander, his head resting on an outstretched arm, his other arm thrown across Xander. To the Scooby, this was perfect. The idea of the two of them waking up side by side forever entered his mind but was quickly pushed out by common sense saying that Spike might not want him forever. Caught in his daydreams, Xander failed to notice the sleeping man wake until he pressed a kiss to Xander's lips. "Good morning, Will." He smiled.

Spike grinned and pressed himself tighter to his lover. "Mornin', pet." He purred. "Xan, think anyone's up yet?"

Xander peeked at his digital clock and saw it was nearing 9 am. "They should be getting' up soon." He gave Spike a curious look as if to ask 'Why? What did you have in mind?' as he played with the short hairs on the back of Spike's neck.

"So, no quick shag then?" He asked a twinge of hope in his voice.

"Later, William." He promised, pulling the vampire on top of him in a hug. "Now, as much as all the potentials and I would enjoy you walking around the place naked, I doubt Nicky and Ariel would appreciate it that much." He said throwing a pair of boxers at the pouting blond. "Take a shower, you smell." Xander laughed and pushed the now boxer-clad man towards the bathroom and shut the door.

After dressing himself and waking up Nicky and Ariel, Xander lead the two sleepy children over to the counter and fixed them a bowl of cereal. He leaned against the sink and watched the two children interact. Nicky was attempting to eat Cheerios without any assistance and wound up flinging the little o's everywhere. Every time Ariel would try to help her brother, the little boy would hit her with the spoon. He tried to hold off on telling them until they were in the car and on their way to LA but he figured it would be better and tell them now. "Nicky, you like me, right?" He asked, picking the little boy up and resting him on his hip. The toddler nodded and wrapped his little arms around Xander's neck. "You don't talk much, do you?" Xander cooed. Nicky's response was to yawn and rest his head on the man's shoulder. "You think I'm a good father, right, Ariel?" The child gave him an inquisitive look, cocking her head to the side and asking him 'why?' Xander took a deep breath and sat in Nicky's vacant seat. "How would the two of you like to go to LA?" He asked.

"What about Will?" Ariel asked.

Xander had hoped he wouldn't have to answer that question but what were the chances of that happening? "Will needs to stay here and help out Auntie Dawn and Giles but once he's done helping them Will's gonna meet us in LA."

"That's okay. I guess. Is he gonna be our other daddy like you said he would?" Ariel asked.

Over the girl's shoulder, Xander spotted a shirtless Spike exiting the bathroom with a towel over his shoulder. He smiled and Xander was thankful that he was seated. "Would you like him to be your other daddy?"

"But don't you have to marry Will so he could be our daddy?" Ariel asked causing the tips of Xander's ears to redden.

"…Not necessarily…" He said hesitantly, hopping that the next question wasn't going to be what he thought it was going to be.

"Do you want to marry Will?" Xander's face flushed a bright red as his vampire lover crossed the room.

"May-maybe one day." If possible, he blushed even more and handed the two year old to Spike. "Good morning, Will." He smiled, accepting a kiss from the half-naked man. "Willow brought some blood over last night. There are only three bags of human in the fridge so space it out."

"'Kay." He turned to the boy in his arms. "Good morning, my handsome little boy." He cooed, placing a kiss on his forehead and sitting him on the counter so he could pay some attention to Ariel who was waiting patiently for her morning hug. "I couldn't forget you. Good morning, precious." He placed a kiss on her forehead before walking around the counter to the fridge and opening a container of otter blood, pouring it into a mug and heating it. "If you're done eating, Ariel, you can go brush your teeth and wash your face before the potentials get to the bathroom." Spike suggested. "Oh and bring your brother into your room so the girls don't trample him. Thanks, princess." He watched with a smile, not a smirk, as the girl took her brother by the hand and led him to their bedroom. He looked to his left and watched as Xander buttered a piece of toast and shoved it in his mouth. Spike leaned over and took the toast from the other man's mouth and took a bit, placing it on a napkin on the counter. His arms came around Xander's waist, looking him straight in the eye. "You would marry me, Alex?" He asked, somewhat surprised by this revelation. "I never thought anyone would want to link themselves to me forever. I'm not exactly what anyone would consider an ideal mate."

"Can I tape this little speech of yours and play it back for everyone?" Xander laughed. "And who says that some time in the future I wouldn't want to tie myself to you forever? I think I could put up with 'the Big Bad' for a while." Xander ran a thumb over several bruises on Spike's neck and chest. "I like that I'm one of the few people that gets to see this side of you." His forehead rested against Spike's; brown eyes staring lovingly into blue ones.

"When all this is over, I'm gonna stay in bed for a week and just sleep. After that, you, me and the niblets are gonna do something special together. We'll go to London on holiday just like I promise Ariel. Then, I'm gonna take all my money and spend it on you. Buy us all a nice, big house with really thick walls so the kids can't hear us when you're fucking me." Spike said softly, finally pressing his mouth against Xander's. "Even if I don't make it out of this, I swear I'll find a way back to you." He tightened his hold on the larger man, resting his head on his shoulder.

"Oh, that's gross. Do you guys have to do that in the kitchen?" Came one of the potentials. Had vampires been able to blush, Spike still probably wouldn't have but Xander blushed enough for the both of them.

"Girls, help yourselves to whatever you want for breakfast." Said Xander as he led Spike into the children's room. "Will, go put on a shirt and come back." Spike did as he was told, leaving the two kids with Xander. "Do you two mind staying with your Aunties Dawn and Willow again?" Nicholas clapped and scrambled onto the bed to wrap his arms around Xander's neck.

"Where are you going?" Ariel asked, not wanting to be separated from her new parent so soon.

"I'm not going anywhere, sweetie. I just thought that you and your brother wouldn't want to listen to boring grown-up things." He replied, an arm wrapping tightly around the two children next to him.

"Am I gonna get to go to school?" Ariel asked. "My old mommy and daddy didn't want to send me to school. They said I wouldn't learn anything at school."

"I'm going to send you to the best school." Xander kissed the girl's head and looked up, smiling at the cheerful expression on his lover's face. "What?"

"Nothing, mate." He walked to the bed and swept the young girl into his lap then turned to give Xander a chaste kiss. He turned to the girl and said, "Go pack some things to bring over to your Auntie Dawn's, okay?" The child slid off his lap after giving him a quick hug and a kiss and proceeded to pack up a few dolls in a knapsack. "Watch your brother for a few minutes so your daddy and I can talk." Ariel nodded and watched as the blond took her father's hand and led him into their bedroom. "I put my footlocker in the car already. There's still room in the boot for your things and the kids' things. Fill up the backseat and keep them in the front with you."

Xander knelt between Spike's legs and took the slim, pale hands in his. "I'm not leaving without you." His voice was uncharacteristically soft as he spoke, his eyes never leaving Spike's face. Deep down, both men knew that only one of them would make it out of this and that there was nothing they could do about it. Xander's arms snaked around his lover's small waist; his head resting comfortably on Spike's shoulder as the two men sat there, content with just being in each others arms. The familiar scent of smoke, hair gel, and the soap Spike used comforted Xander. For him, the combination of scents he associated with being purely Spike, had, over time, become tied to what Xander considered 'home'. It just now hit him how quickly things were moving with Spike. In less than a week, the two had taken in two children, who they were raising as a couple, and were making plans for the future. After loving each other from afar for so long, it only seemed natural to them to be at this stage so early on in their relationship. He laughed. "It feels like we've been together for years."

"I know what you mean, pet." Spike agreed, his fingers combing through dark brown waves. "I want you to know that I will do anything to make what I promised you come true."

"Would you leave me if Dru came back?" Xander asked. The question was totally out of the blue but it was something that had been nagging at the back of Xander's mind since they got together. He had seen the lengths the vampire had gone for his former lover and he couldn't help thinking that he was only second best and that the eccentric Drusilla would always rank number one with Spike.

"No. You're more than she ever was. I was infatuated with her. Over time, I started to think I was in love with her when really it was only because I had gotten so used to being with her." Just to throw in an extra bit of reassurance, Spike planted a big, wet kiss on Xander's cheek then tilted his head so he could firmly kiss his lover properly. "You're my everything, Alex."

Hearing Spike's words helped to alleviate his fear of having to out-do everything Drusilla did with Spike. Reluctantly, Xander pulled out of Spike's arms and stood. "I'm gonna drive the potentials to Buffy's." Spike gave a soft 'okay' and watched Xander leave, admiring the lovely view of the young man's ass as he walked out of the room. "I'll be right back, I'm just gonna drive the girls to Aunt Buffy's." Ariel ran over and hugged her father. Before leaving the flat, Xander turned back towards his room and warned Spike against smoking inside. "Come on girls. I hafta bring you back to Buff's." He took the keys from the key hook and ushered the handful of girls out to the DeSoto that Spike surprisingly let Xander borrow.

"How's my little boy?" Spike cooed at the laughing boy on the lounge floor. He glanced over at Ariel who was still captivated by Lizzie Mcguire and sat, unmoving, on the couch in front of the telly. Then he turned his attention back to the two year old who was busy trying to build a tower as tall as he was. Spike laughed as Nicky pushed the block tower, sending the wooden pieces scattering.

"What would happen if I opened the curtain?" Ariel asked curiously during a break in the programme.

"I would burn." Simple was the best. He didn't want to go into details so he simply told her that he would burn.

"Like a sunburn?"

"No, more like burned alive." He corrected. A horrified look crossed her small face. "I'll be okay as long as you don't open the curtain."

Xander could hear the happy sound of laughter through the door to his flat and it made him smile. It was just what he needed to brighten his mood in this dark time. He turned the knob and opened the door, grinning insanely at the sight that met him. On the floor by the couch, Spike and icky were playing with a set of blocks and Ariel was seated cross-legged on the couch watching Lizzie Mcguire. This was as good as life got: two kids and a wonderful boyfriend who had their entire future planned out. "I like when you laugh. You should do it more." Xander said sitting down beside his lover. "We have to go over at sundown." Xander reminded Spike. "So, what do you two wanna do today?" He asked the two children.

"Can we watch Harry Potter?" Ariel asked, holding up the DVD box.

"Sure, why not." Xander placed Nicholas in the play pen he had bought a few days ago and put the DVD in. "Don't sit so close, sweetie." Ariel scooted back a bit. Her nose crinkled as she saw Spike lying on her father's chest. The two men lay content on the couch as the movie stared, their eyes darting every now and then to the young girl sitting on the floor with her chin resting in her hands.

Spike leaned up and gave Xander a wicked smile. "I bet you'd like it if I got all dressed up like a little school boy, wouldn't you, Alex?" He watched as Xander's eyes flew open and shifted the growing erection that was pressing against Spike. "You could be the teacher and give me detention. Bend me over your desk and fuck me." He whispered into Xander's ear.

Xander was trying to will his erection away but it didn't look like that was going to happen. "Watch what you say around the kids." Xander scolded. He attempted to focus on the movie but he was finding it quite difficult as Spike's words were running through his head. "I'm warning you, Will. You can do whatever you want to me later but how about you try and concentrate on the movie and that there's a two year old and a seven year old present." He felt the blond relax and snuggle closer, his gaze set on the television. "Ya know, if I was a sixteen year old straight guy with a school girl fetish, this movie would be heaven what with all the girls in uniforms and everything. But no, here I am thinking how great some kid's ass looks in uniform pants. I feel like a dirty old man." Xander muttered as the movie continued.

Spike couldn't help but laugh at the boy's comment. "You have a thing for uniforms, don't ya?" he asked, trying not to laugh. Xander didn't answer.

The rest of the morning and afternoon passed uneventfully. They ordered a pizza for lunch and Xander took the kids to the park while Spike attempted to pack up their things for Xander to take to LA. Having exhausted themselves at the park, both children fell asleep as soon as they got through the door. Spike took it upon himself to declare Ariel and Nicholas' nap time 'Alex and Will alone time'. With everything going on and the kids, Spike and Xander hadn't had any time alone together. Spike saw nap time as an opportunity to have some time alone with his lover. Waiting until Xander had closed the door to the bedroom, Spike yanked him into the bathroom; a hot bath for two already drawn. Xander immediately stripped and slipped into the tub quickly followed by Spike. They took turns washing each other's hair, well it was more like playing with each other's hair but shampoo was involved. Even with all the bleach, Spike's hair was surprisingly soft.

"Have you thought of growing your hair out and maybe not bleaching it every other week?" Xander asked as he ran a hand vertically through the platinum blonde strands, forcing them to stick straight up. Spike shrugged and scooted closer to Xander, his legs wrapping around the brunet's waist staring deeply into chocolate-y brown eyes.

The two lovers sat entwined in the bath tub, arms wrapped around each other gazing into each other's eyes. Neither noticed nor cared that the water was growing colder; the only thing mattering to them was simply embracing one another. The bathroom was quiet; the only sounds were Xander's soft breathing and the gentle lapping of the cool bath water at the sides of the tub. A sharp cry broke their silent reverie ad in a split second both men were jumping from the tub and wrapping themselves in terry cloth bath robes and hurrying into the bedroom.

Tears streamed down rosy cheeks as Ariel tried to calm her brother. The little boy's arms were stretched out towards Xander as soon as the two men entered the room. Xander sat at the foot of the bed and found himself with a lap-full of crying two year old. "Will, can you fill his sippy cup with milk?" Xander asked. Spike nodded and turned toward the kitchen. Xander wrapped his arms around the sobbing boy while a comforting hand rubbed the child's small back. "Shh. Nicky, what happened? Why're you crying, baby?" Xander could barely understand the boy through his sobbing. He turned toward Ariel, "Do you know what happened?"

"He had a bad dream about our old mommy and daddy." She said quietly, going back to biting her nails. Xander nodded and gently rocked the boy back and forth, waiting for Spike to come back with the milk.

"Here you are, luv." Spike held out the sippy cup and sat next to Xander on the bed. He smiled as Ariel crawled onto his lap and snuggled close to him. Ariel was his little princess. In the short time that the two children had been staying with them, Spike had already established himself as "the pushover". He let her stay up past her bed time and have chocolate milk before bed. She was his little girl.

Nicholas sucked on the spout of the cup until it was empty. His eyes were red and puffy. Sobs had been reduced to little sniffles against Xander's shoulder. He wiped his nose on his sleeve and turned his head against Xander's neck.

"Nicky, are you okay now?" Xander asked. Nicholas responded with a sniff and a nod. "Will and I are gonna go change, okay?" The boy nodded and curled into a ball by his pillow.

Several hours later, the newly formed family found themselves at Buffy's. A blue stroller sat next to the stair with a stuffed bear in the seat. Ariel had fought with both Xander and Spike to sit with them in the lounge and listen to what was going on. She was surprised that Spike was telling her that she couldn't do something. Finally, after much arguing and compromising, they agreed to let Ariel sit and listen but if there was something that was too much for the little girl to hear then she would sit in the kitchen.

Everyone was seated in the lounge listening intently to Buffy, even little Nicholas though he probably didn't know what was going on. Ariel was seated on Spike's lap while Nicholas was seated in Xander's lap so he could be fed.

"We've got a new player in town. Dresses like a preacher. Calls himself Caleb. Looks like he's working for the First. He's taunting us, calling us out. Says he's got something of mine. Could be another girl, could be something else. Don't know, don't care. I'm tired of talking. I'm tired of training. He's got something of mine? Fine. I'm getting it back, and you guys are coming with me."

"Um, Buff?" Xander raised his hand while his other picked up a piece of a hot dog and held it for Nicholas to take. "What about these two?" He gestured to the two children.

"They can stay here with everyone who doesn't go." Buffy replied.

The group broke up aft Buffy's little speech. Some of the potentials went to change; others went to get something to eat. Xander and Spike, on the other hand, snuck down to the basement for a quick snog and quite possibly a quick shag as well while Nicholas and Ariel showed Giles the new toys Xander and Spike had bought them.

"Has anyone seen Xander and Spike?" Willow asked the group that was assembled in the lounge.

Buffy shivered as the thought of the two of them going at it somewhere in her house popped into her head. "Faith, go check the bedrooms." Buffy rolled her eyes as Faith took her time to climb the stairs and check the rooms.

"Not up here, B." She called from the landing.

Buffy groaned. There was only one other place they could be besides the downstairs closet and that was the basement. The blonde slayer crossed her arms and walked down to the basement.

"Alex! Please, harder!" Spike gasped as Xander fucked him hard from behind. "Oh, God, Alex!

Xander smirked and draped himself over his lover's back, biting his shoulder as he came fast and hard inside Spike's tight channel. Instead of letting Spike come on the cot, Xander flipped him onto his back and finished the blond off with his mouth. Swallowing everything Spike shot into his mouth, Xander crawled onto the cot and spooned up behind his lover. "I love you, Will."

"I love you, too, Alex."

Just as the couple was falling asleep, the basement door was open and an annoyed Buffy stomped down the stairs. "Get dressed and get upstairs." She deadpanned before turning on her heel and stomping back up the stairs.

With an aggravated sigh, Spike rose and was about to slip on his jeans but found himself face down on the cot with his arse in the air. What Xander did next took Spike by complete surprise. All of a sudden, a warm, wet tongue was pressed against his twitching entrance causing him to moan so loudly that they were both sure everyone upstairs had heard.

Spike was a quivering, debauched mess on the cot. In all the years he'd been alive, no one had ever rimmed him. He really hadn't thought that that would feel so good but he was pleasantly surprised. He turned his head to admire his lover's body but found that Xander was already dressed. Groaning, Spike rose and slipped his jeans on and pulled his shirt over his head before slipping his boots on. "Alex, wait." Spike said as they entered the kitchen and closed the basement door.

Xander turned and felt Spike placing a cool hand in his. It was reassuring the way Spike's slim fingers curled around his, squeezing gently just to let him know her was still there. He loved knowing that he was one of the very few people, alive or undead, that got to see the human side of Spike.

"How's the hair?" Spike asked making Xander break out into hysterical laughter. " 'M serious!"

"Your hair is fine, you big girl. C'mon the gang's waiting." Xander dragged the vampire behind him into the lounge where Buffy was standing with Willow, Giles and Faith "We're here."

"We need to start arming the girls. I wanna be ready to move when we find him." Buffy told her friends.

"We don't even know where we're going." Willow spoke up.

" 'S why I figured we could do a little recon first." Buffy turned to Faith. "You up for it?"

"Point me where you want me." Faith responded.

Giles turned to the group. "And you're certain this is the best course of action? You don't even know what this man has of yours - if he, in fact, has anything."

"It could be a girl, a potential trying to get to us."

"Could be a stapler." Giles added.

"Going in anyway." Buffy replied curtly.

"With the girls?" Giles questioned. "Most of whom have yet to be in the field, let alone in a life or death situation."

"Then it's time we test them. Look, I'll just take the ones that have been here the longest. The rest can stay behind."

"Could be that's just what he wants you to do – the old bait-and-switch." Came Spike's voice from half behind Xander.

"Yeah, he lures us away and then kills the girls we left behind." Willow added to what Spike had just said.

"I know. That's why I need you to stay here with them. You're my most powerful weapon, Will. I know you can keep them safe if anything happens."

"An unknown man breezes into town, says he has something of yours. Buffy, this thing's got "trap" written all over it." Xander finally said.

"He won't be expecting a full attack - not this soon, that's why we have to move."

"We know nothing about this man. We cannot go into battle unprepared. We have to have more time." Insisted the former watcher.

"Giles, we don't have time. And you're not going into battle. I need you to stay behind with the others. Help the girls who still need a teacher."

Xander perched himself on the arm of the couch next to Spike. In his hand, Xander held a spiked baseball bat as he spoke to the potentials. "Now remember, we're looking for killing blows only, people. So, chest and throat if it's a vampire. Stomach, chest and face if it's a Bringer." He handed the bat to one of the potentials in front of him.

"What if it's something else?" Rona asked holding the bat.

"Could happen. Something other-worldly. And here's a handy rule: don't go for the flashy tentacles just because they're waving 'em about trying to get attention. Go for the center - brains, heart, eyes. Everything's got eyes."

"Except the Bringers." Dawn pointed out.

"Except the Bringers." Xander confirmed.

"I don't want there to be tentacles. I'm not good with squishy." Molly announced.

"I don't care if it's Godzilla." Kennedy commented; brandishing a large sword. "I want to get in this thing."

"Godzilla's mostly Tokyo-based, so he's probably a no-show." Chirped Andrew, occasionally glancing up at the handsome brunet.

"Besides, if Matthew Broderick can kill Godzilla, how tough is he?" Came Amanda's voice.

"Xander…" Andrew whined, his arms crossing over his chest petulantly. He received a nasty glare from Spike who then placed his hand on his lover's thigh to show the Scooby was off limits.

"Matthew Broderick did not kill Godzilla. He killed a big, dumb lizard. That was not the real Godzilla." Xander sighed, covering Spike's hand with his own.

"You people are crazier than her." Rona commented.

"Than who?" asked Xander.

"Buffy, man. I mean, taking us right into the bad guy's lair." The potential explained.

"Well, that's where, generally speaking, you'd go to find the bad guy. And I don't think you came here to fight plaque."

"No, I came here for protection." Rona answered back.

"Well, you signed on to fight with –" Xander was cut off mid-sentence by Rona.

"Look, I know, but... this plan is trouble. OK, Buffy doesn't care how many of us she puts in danger –" She sighed.

"Let me tell you something about Buffy. In fact, you should all listen to this."

"Um, we kinda were." Kennedy informed Xander.

"I've been through more battles with Buffy than you all can ever imagine. She's stopped everything that's ever come up against her. She's laid down her life - literally - to protect the people around her. This girl has died two times, and she's still standing. You're scared? That's smart. You got questions? You should. But you doubt her motives, you think Buffy's all about the kill, then you take the little bus to battle. I've seen her heart, and this time - not literally. And I'm telling you, right now, she cares more about your lives than you will ever know. You gotta trust her. She's earned it." Somewhere in the middle of Xander's speech, Buffy and Faith had entered the house. By the time he finished what he was saying; Andrew, Dawn and Buffy were all crying.

"Damn. I never knew you were that cool." Everyone turned to look at Buffy and Faith.

"Well, you always were a little slow." Buffy said to Faith.

"I get that now."

"All right, let's saddle up." Buffy said and started taking weapons from her weapons chest.

A/N: Sorry that took so long to update. Update or no more chapters!!!


	8. From a Shell

White Picket Fences

Disclaimer: If I owned them do you think I would be writing this?

Reviewers:

**Anegativegrl**: Thank you for all your reviews! The reason for my lack of update is in my author's note. Unfortunately, I'm following the show but, and that's a big BUT, just keep reading I've got a few twists planned for the sequel.

**Hellocloneddolly**: The changes were made for obvious reasons and thank you for liking my writing.

**Thepennameoftheyear**: Thanks!

**Mus4u**: You are my muse!

**Beloved**: Hehehe…

A/N: I know most of you will probably hate me for this but this and the next few chapters will go through both _Touched_ and _Chosen_ and will end at _Conviction_ (Angel S4. Episode #89) I apologize for not updating sooner but RL has intervened and between watching my younger (read: royal pain in the ass teenager) brother, Siri, who has hit that rebellious phase a bit late, and my little nephew while my brother and his husband went away on business and work and drumroll please ……..I got engaged! I haven't had too much time to update. Kinda hard to get anything done with a family that rivals the bloody Brady bunch. Also, I wanna say that this story is coming to a close. At most, I would say there will only be three or four more chapters and then I will begin working on the sequel. Does anyone even read this?

Chapter 8: From a Shell

It was never good when there was a call to come to Sunnydale Hospital. It was the dead of night and Anya, Giles, Willow and a group of potentials were walking through the parking lot and into the building.

Willow didn't know what to expect when she walked into the room her best friend was lying in. The girl holding her hand tried to show she wasn't scared but the second she saw her father laying there, a bandage around his head, she buried her face in Willow's shirt.

The boy Giles was carrying was gripping him tight and sniffling. He didn't like hospitals even at his young age. He tried calming the two year old down but to no avail; the child began sobbing.

Buffy walked around, surveying the damage so to speak, as she passed each potential's bed. Sighing, the slayer put a reassuring hand on Willow's arm before walking out of the room and out of the building.

A tear streaked down Ariel's pink face. Hastily, the small girl wiped away at the tear and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her blue shirt. An expression of fear and sadness crossed her round, little face as she looked up at the red-head. "Daddy okay?" She sniffed.

Willow put on a strong, reassuring face and looked down at the girl by her side. "Your daddy will be fine." She led Ariel over to the bed Xander was laying in and took the seat by the bed. "Be careful." She advised upon seeing Ariel climbing onto the bed to lie beside the injured man. The witch motioned for Giles to give her the child in his arms so he could talk with some of the potentials and Faith.

Until it was time for all the visitors to leave, Willow sat by her sedated friend, watching as the two children curled up around their adoptive father's resting form. She looked up and saw Giles motioning that they were to leave. She carefully lifted a sleeping Nicholas off the bed and gently woke Ariel, informing her that they had to go home now and they could see their father tomorrow. Silently, Willow led Ariel out of the room and followed Giles as they made their way back to Buffy's.

_And the Earth spins round/While the people fall down……_

The next day saw the group of potentials in Buffy's basement along with Xander, Faith, Anya, Dawn and the others. Around them, battery powered lights and candles lit up the room. Anya, as usual was being her blunt self and assuring one of the potentials that she was more likely to stay alive and watch her friends die before she died. It may not have been the most comforting thing to say but coming from Anya, it was as close to comforting as you would get.

Xander was worried about his lover who still hadn't returned. They were a happy little family even if they had only been a family for little less than a month and now they were being forced to split apart. It was just his luck that the moment he had the life he wanted, his lover was telling him to leave. With a long, deep sigh, Xander adjusted the black eye-patch and listened to the chattering around him.

"So let's go over our rogue's gallery. Who exactly do we have here?" Faith asked as Xander started to pay attention again.

"Well, there's The First. Who we can't touch." Dawn contributed.

"And then there's our friend the Reverend I-Hate-Women." Xander added.

"Who's basically untouchable." Said Anya. "

And there's the 'roid-rage vamps, who are pretty much the worst and the—"

"Bringers." Interrupted Faith. "I think they're our weakest link."

_And the world stands still/Not a sound, not a sound/There is love, here is love/To be found……_

Night fell over the Californian town and the group was in the kitchen after having used Kennedy as bait to capture a Bringer who, as it turned out, was mute. Willow and Dawn discussed a spell that would allow them to communicate with the Bringer that was being kept in the basement. A half eaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich lay abandoned on the island in the kitchen where Ariel sat letting Amanda braid her hair. The front door slammed shut and Andrew's familiar voice echoed in the lounge.

"We're back!"

Spike entered the kitchen looking a touch irritated; more than likely because of the company he had been forced to be in. He greeted Giles and went around to stand behind Xander, draping his arms around the brunet's neck. He leaned over and pecked Ariel on the cheek before turning to kiss his lover tenderly on the lips. "Your eye." It was more of a question than anything else.

"It's okay." Xander reassured Spike and kissed him quickly. "Nicky's upstairs sleeping."

"Hi, everybody. I missed you guys a lot. Sorry we took so long getting back from our mission but we had to wait out the sun and, well, I think our mission went very well. We rode on Spike's hog, which was very cool, and played some amusing games and, oh, we got some information. But do you know what? I really need to urinate." With that, Andrew dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"He's a breath of fresh air, isn't he? Thank god I don't breathe." There was a long bout of silence before Spike spoke again. "So, I think we got a lead. Where's Buffy?" Dawn explained that Buffy had decided to take a 'breather' or rather, they had all decided that she needed to take a breather. Spike disagreed with them but decided not to voice his opinion while his daughter was around. He pulled away from Xander and lifted the young girl from her chair. "It's passed your bedtime. Shouldn't you be asleep like your brother?" Spike smirked at the girl who was looking slightly guilty.

"Daddy made me a sandwich."

"Go get your things together and try not to wake Nicky." Spike put her down and nudged her towards the stairs. "We should go home." He told the group then led Xander into the foyer. "Go start the car, I'll get the Niblets." Xander nodded and went out to start the car.

The car ride home was a quiet one. Neither man spoke and in the back seat, both children were sleeping. Xander pulled into a parking space and they carried the children up to their flat. It was hard for Xander to look around his flat. Things were in labelled boxes and bags piled by the door. There really wasn't much but the sight of their things all packed up upset him. This had been their first home as a family and though he desperately tried not to become emotional he couldn't help but sigh tragically. He was standing by the door, simply taking in the sight of the nearly bare home when Spike emerged from the children's room and wrapped his arms around his lover.

"Everything will be fine. I already told you, I'll use the money I have and buy you a nice house with a garden and a tree that you can hang a swing on for the kids and lots of flowers. My mum always loved the flowers in her garden. We'll get a dog and we can ask Willow to look for a way for me to go out in the day. We'll be the perfect family with the two kids, a dog, the swing in the front, and the white picket fence." Spike said softly. "Come on, let's go to bed." Xander could only nod and follow he vampire he loved.

A/N: This is NOT the end of the fic. There are at least two more chapters and I'm planning a sequel. I should be updating soon IF I get enough reviews. hint hint


	9. Los Angeles

White Picket Fences

A/N: Sorry I haven�t updated lately. Been quite busy and all. I�ve decided to keep Cordelia alive and Connor around. Angel and Cordelia are living together in Cordelia�s flat. More of this in the Sequel.

Chapter 9: Los Angeles

The smooth, slow drag of enamel on his skin made the human shudder and arch his back in an attempt to gain more contact. The mouth continued its journey along his lover�s body before finally coming to rest next to his right hipbone. A soft kiss was followed by the slow sinking of fangs into the tender flesh. Xander�s toes curled and his hands clenched the bed-sheets as he exploded onto his chest and stomach. The vampire smiled against the larger man�s hip and lapped at the dual puncture wounds until the bleeding subsided and moved up the bed to lie at his beloved�s side. The two men lay side by side for several minutes simply enjoying the others� company.

Xander hissed softly when Spike�s body came in contact with the fresh bite on his hip; the salt on the vampire�s body making the open wound sting a bit. He smiled at him as if to say �really, I�m fine.� Leaning over, Xander kissed Spike languidly, savouring the feel of their lips moving together. He sighed against the vampire�s slightly warm lips.

�The second we move into a new house, Peaches is taking the kids for the weekend.� Spike smirked, giving down at Xander who was lying with his hands behind his head. Their moment of peace was interrupted by a soft knock at their bedroom door. �Yeah?� Spike called softly and tossed Xander a t-shirt.

�Can�t sleep.� The little boy said, clutching his blanket in one hand.

�Come on.� Xander held his arms open for the boy as he climbed onto the bed between the two men. �G�night, Nicky.� He whispered, kissing Nicholas on his forehead. The child�s only response was a yawn and to snuggle further into the bed.

The next morning, Xander and Nicholas awoke to the sounds of Spike rummaging around the house. Sliding off the bed, Xander lifted Nicholas and sleepily made his way into the kitchen. �Good morning, Xanpet.� Spike leaned in, kissing Nicholas on the head and Xander on the lips.

�Mm, syrupy.� Xander grinned, licking his lips before leaning back in for a second kiss. Just as their lips touched, Nicholas pouted and attempted to push them apart.

�No kissy.� Said the little boy in Xander�s arms as the two men laughed.

�What�s so funny?� Came the sleepy voice of Ariel as she stumbled to the counter.

�Nicky doesn�t seem to like us kissing.� Xander answered, pressing a kiss to Nicholas� baby fine hair.

�You�re too old to kiss. It�s gross.� Ariel pulled a somewhat disgusted face at the two men and waited for Spike to finish cooking.

�I�m 22! I�m not old, missy. Your other daddy�s old.� Xander snickered before having to duck from the flying waffle bits. �If you�re gonna throw food at me at least get it in my mouth!� He rolled his eyes and walked around the counter to the refrigerator.

��M not old, whelp.� Spike waved a spatula at his lover. He turned to Ariel who was now drinking a glass of Orange juice that Xander had handed her. �Are you packed yet?� The girl nodded.

�Why do we have to go to LA anyway? Can�t we stay here with you?� She whined.

Spike sighed heavily. It pained him to think that the people who had become his whole world would be leaving in a few hours and that he probably wouldn�t see them again. He walked over and wrapped an arm around her. �I love you, Ariel and your brother, and you da, that�s why you have to go to LA. I want you to be safe. I just have to do this then I�ll come out to LA, too, okay? You�ll be fine. You won�t even notice I�m not there. You�ll be with your Grandpa Angel and everyone else.�

Xander placed his own glass of juice down. �Why don�t you take your brother to get washed up.� His voice was soft but it was obviously a command rather than a suggestion. He waited for the two children to leave the kitchen before embracing his boyfriend. �Just come with us.� He pleaded, his breath tickling the shell of the blonde�s ear. �I can�t lose you now, Will.� He whispered. �I just found you.�

�I love you.� Spike murmured against his lover�s lips in between fierce kisses. Finally pulling away, Spike rested his forehead against his lover�s. �I�ll be there as soon as I can. I help you pack the car when the sun goes down.� The two embraced once again, Spike listening to the soothing beating of Xander�s heart and Xander listening to the unneeded breathing coming from Spike, completely oblivious to the two children watching them with sad expressions.

For the rest of the day, the two children stayed close to Spike, even if they were only at home. They watched silently as the blonde made them lunch and later, Ariel listened intently as Spike read a story to Nicholas before his nap. Ariel had wound up falling asleep beside her brother.

With the two children napping peacefully, Xander and Spike retreated to their own bedroom, spending the time lying shirtless in bed enjoying the feeling of skin on skin contact with the occasional languid kissing. Neither man wanted to think about what would happen in the next few hours or days. The only thing that mattered was that they were together now and nothing could pull them apart, well almost nothing. The phone beside the bed had been ringing non stop for the past two minutes and Spike was about ready to throw the blasted thing out the window. �What?!� He growled into the receiver. �Piss off, slayer.� He slammed the phone back on the base and turned to snuggle back into his lover. He sensed Xander was about to say something and promptly shushed him, placing a finger over the young man�s lips

Nightfall came sooner than expected with Spike helping Xander load boxes into the boot of Spike�s car. On the sidewalk, a pile of labelled boxes sat with several duffel bags and back packs that still needed to be fit into the already stuffed car. A box labelled �Will�s things� was the next to be crammed into the small space left in the back of the boot. He was having serious doubts as to whether he should stay �for the greater good.� After all, why was it that all of a sudden he needs to help save the world and probably die in the process? Sure, he was �good� now but why couldn�t the slayer save the world herself? Wasn�t that in her job description in the first place? He wanted to cry but willed himself not to for the sake of the children. Their children. The children they saved. Together. The children he had become something of a father to which was something he had never thought would ever happen in his un-life. He watched Xander come out to the car with a child holding each hand. He watched as the two children ran to him, embracing him tightly. He knelt on the ground and took them both in his arms, kissing them both on the head and reassuring them that everything would be just fine and to take care of their daddy for them until he got to LA. He was shocked to see just how attached the two were to him already and wiped away their tears with his hand. After several minutes, Spike ushered them into the backseat of the car and waited until Xander had stowed away the last duffel bag in the boot and the last box in the backseat to pull him into his arms and kiss him fiercely. He no longer cared that tears were running freely down his face. After many whispered �I love you�s� and reassurances, the two finally broke apart and Xander got into the car and started it up. He watched with a pensive expression as the car drove down the road and toward the city limits.

The car stopped outside of the address Spike had given him. �We�re here.� He said, breaking the silence that had lasted since they left Sunnydale. Xander ushered the two children to the door and knocked hesitantly. He was surprised when Angel answered the door and ushered them in without a word. Angel explained to Xander that Spike had called a few days ago explaining everything that was going on .

The front door slammed shut and a pissed off teen stomped through the lounge and into the kitchen to grab a can of soda before locking himself in his bedroom. �I�d better go deal with this. Cordelia should be home in a few minutes.� Angel sighed and went to knock on the locked bedroom door. �Connor, open the door.�

�Go away!� Connor shouted back.

Angel groaned and decided that Cordelia was better at dealing with the teen�s social issues than he was. �That blur of teenage angst that locked himself in his room is Connor.� Angel said, plopping back down in his chair. He smiled at the two children who were, in their own ways, carefully studying the dark haired vampire. �These must be the kids Spike was rambling about when he called to say you would be coming here.� He watched as Xander smiled and placed an arm around each child.

�I need you to help me adopt them.�

Angel nodded and went to the sideboard where a file was sitting. �Spike told me so I pulled some strings and all it needs is your signature.� He said handing the file to a very grateful Xander. �You must be hungry.� Angel said and made to get up from his seat.

�Sorry �bout giving you and Buff all that crap about the two of you.� Xander mumbled as Angel ordered a pizza. For the first time in, well, ever, Xander heard Angel give a small laugh and to be honest, it kinda scared him a tiny bit.

�Xander!� He barely had a warning before Cordelia launched herself at her ex-boyfriend. �Oh my god, your eye.�

Xander�s hand absentmindedly went to the patch covering his eye and laughed. �Yeah, got a thumb in the eye.�

�You can stay here as long as you like. When did you get here?� She asked, barely letting Xander answer before getting distracted by the young girl on the couch who was tying knots in the cord of her pink hoody. �She�s adorable!� She squealed and went to sit beside Ariel. �Hi there, I�m Cordy.� The girl�s sad expression brightened momentarily. �Why don�t I show you where you can put your things?� Cordelia Chase Smiled warmly at Ariel and Nicholas and took them by the hand to show them to the guest bedroom.

Several moments later, Nicholas and Ariel came back to the lounge and quietly climbed onto their father�s lap. Ariel buried her head into the front of Xander�s shirt, curiously watching her father and the two other adults in the room. She watched as Angel came in and sat in his chair and as Cordelia came to sit on the arm of her boyfriend�s chair and give him a quick kiss. Her ears perked up at Angel�s mention of pizza and smiled. �I like dad�s pizza.� She said very softly, Nicholas nodding in agreement. Xander smiled at his daughter�s comment and looked to Angel. �It means a lot that the two of you are letting us stay here but sooner or later I�ll need to get something more permanent for the three of us and find a school for Ariel.� He said.

�I can help you look for a place!� Cordelia chirped with a satisfied smile.

�Um, okay.� Xander didn�t know what he should say. All he wanted was something simple that the three of them would be comfortable in.

The group sat in silence, waiting for the pizza to arrive. Occasionally, Connor would tap his foot against the floor or drum his fingers on the armrest impatiently. Around 10pm, the pizza arrived and they ate in companionable silence in the moderate dining room until the ringing of the telephone broke the silence and Cordelia got up to answer it. It was Giles. Xander got up, unable to stand being in the same room when Cordelia spoke to Giles about the destruction of Sunnydale. He mumbled something about needing fresh air and left the flat to sit outside for a while. Had Xander stayed, he may have heard something quite important. Completely oblivious to the world around him, Xander hardly heard the motorbike pull up and hardly noticed as someone sat next to him on the curb.

�It�s a nice night.�

Xander laughed bitterly. If it wasn�t enough that he had to lose someone so close to him, his mind had to be a bitch and play games with him, making him think his lover was sitting beside him and speaking to him. He turned his head towards the voice and laughed harder. Not only was he hearing things but he was seeing things as well! �You�ve really lost it now.� A voice in his head laughed. �You�re not real.�

�Of course I am.�

�No you�re � Great, now I�m talking to myself. I�ve officially crossed over into loony Ville.� Xander hung his head, glancing over to see the black lad blond sitting next to him, a cigarette between his fingers.

A moment passed and soon, Xander�s lap was filled with an eager, Spike-shaped mass kissing him enthusiastically.

�Xander, it�s Spike, Giles said he�s � oh, never mind.� Cordelia blushed and went back inside at the sight in front of her.

�That Red is really something. Have to send her a thank you note or something.� Spike muttered as Xander led him into Cordelia�s flat and into the guest bedroom where his children would have been staying.

Angel and Cordelia watched the couple enter then barricade themselves in the guest room before turning to each other and deciding the best plan of action was to get the two children and Connor out of the house before they were all scarred for life. �Wanna go see a movie? You can have all the candy you want but you have to promise me not to tell you daddies.� Cordelia grinned and led everyone outside leaving Xander and Spike alone for several hours.

In the guest room, Spike and Xander were making up for lost time. Or rather, the few hours they were separated. �Didn�t I tell you I�d come find you?� he smirked.

Finis

A/N: That�s it. The Sequel will be coming shortly. This chapter has been a bitch to write but eventually I�ll clean up the fic and add in bits and pieces here and there. I hoped you all liked it.


End file.
